Knock on Wood: #Tribe

June 10, 2015

My Community. My Tribe.

Community. It's kind of a big deal, especially in the blog world. It brings like-minded people together and is an amazing source of constant inspiration and support. Communities can band together to help those in need, they can introduce you to your new best friend, they can be local or online. These days communities can form just about anywhere.

I love my blogging community, my #Tribe. They have become more than just words on a computer screen. And just because I have never met these wonderful women in person, it doesn't mean we aren't close friends. Honestly, they know more about me than many people in my "real life" do. They understand me better than some of those "real life" people do as well.

Today I want to take a moment to recognize my #Tribe and thank them for being their amazing selves.

Melissa - The Rambling Llama
Yes, she counts. She's been my best friend for about nine years now. I am so proud of her and even more so that she's grown so much because of her blog. She's so talented and funny, you just can't help but love her. Thank you, Llama, for being you. For being there for me, for inspiring me to do things I never thought I would be able to do, and for being on my level of crazy.

Kendra - Kenji is Here
This lady is such an inspiration to me. After finding out that I have another chronic illness (I have Major Depression and PCOS), I fell back on her for support. She's always got an amazingly positive attitude and totally understands my frustrations and concerns. Thank you, Kenj, for being you. For letting me "cry" on your shoulder, for being a light in my life, and for all the awesome snapchat conversations.

Anne - Love the Here and Now
Oh, Anne. I think we first bonded over our mutual love of fonts. And it grew into something more. Anne is one of the sweetest people I have ever come to know and she's so thoughtful. Not to mention an amazing interior designer (have you seen her daughters' new rooms?!). Thank you, Anne, for being you. For validating my obsession with downloading all the fonts, for being honest and open and genuine, for inspiring me to keep going with my design work (especially fonts!).

Cassie - Sage
Somehow, Cassie always knows exactly what I need to hear, or put my thoughts perfectly into words. She's the person I go to for faith based inspiration. She's the person I go when I need to talk about my crazy thoughts on my schooling. She started my new favorite community #MoreThanAFrame on Instagram (see the prompts here, more are coming in July!). Thank you, Cassie, for being you. For ~~freaking me out~~ preparing me for my future school endeavors, for unknowingly helping me muddle through some of my faith based issues, and for inspiring a wonderful and supportive community with #MoreThanAFrame.

Emily - Ember Grey.
Another amazing lady to go to for faith based inspiration and a dose of daily gratefulness. She's truly beautiful inside AND out (did you know she was a model?). I always look forward to reading her posts because her writing makes my heart smile. Emily also is a creator of an amazing community with #GratefulHeartMonday. Thank you, Emily, for being you. For helping find my positivity and staying focused on my gratefulness, for always making me laugh, and for inspiring my own monthly link-up #Conversations.

Christine - So-Called Homemaker
Whether it's movie suggestions, blogging tips, or offering up the secrets of Real Estate, she always has something to contribute and I love it. She's a go to when I need another opinion on a post idea or when I have something funny to share. Group texts with her and Llama are ALWAYS entertaining. Thank you, Christine, for being you. For always making me smile with random texts, for teaching me that you can understand real estate, and for being our designated Wine Ninja.

Chelsea - The New Wifestyle
Legit, this girl is incredibly talented and smart. I can't believe what she (and her equally as talented husband) have accomplished. Not only does she blog, but she travels with her hubs all over the world to speak and inspire dreams and goal in others. Thank you, Chelsea, for being you. For finding the perfect shade of grey nail polish, for being honest about your fault and committing to improving on them, for reminding me that I, too, and capable of so many things.

Rebecca - The Adventures of Bug and Boo
SuperMom of two beautiful tiny humans, gorgeous fashionista (preggo and not), amazing wife, and genuine blogger. This wonderful lady went out of her way during her first few weeks home with the new baby to reach out to me when I was going through a particularly difficult time and let me know that she understood what I was going through and that she was always there for me. I definitely cried when I opened that sweet note. Thank you, Rebecca, for being you. For being a true friend, for lifting my spirits, and for making me want to try some statement necklaces.

Who is apart of your #Tribe?

Check out my current Chestnut sponsor!

January 20, 2015

Between the Lines: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

source

This is the first month of Between the Lines: A Blogger Book Club with Anne and Kristyn. For January we read Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn and Anne was right, this book is a doozy. But it's so good! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Book Synapsis from Amazon

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.

For the Book Club, we've got some thought provoking questions to answer from the author herself! So here it goes.

1. Libby became famous as a victim—how do you think this strange fame effected her?
I think it made her resent people and become even more of a reclusive. She learned at a young age to exploit her "fame" and the her mission in this book started out as just that.

2. What do you think of Patty Day as a mother? Is she doing the best she can, or is she making excuses for herself?
I want to like Patty Day, but in the end I just couldn't. I feel like she lets the people in her life run over her and make decisions for her. She lost control and couldn't figure out how to get it back. Granted she had some pretty ridiculous circumstances handed to her, but instead of being strong and doing whatever it takes to make a life for herself and her children, she makes excuses for their poverty and relies heavily on handouts from her sister Diane.

3. Why do you think the author chose to set the murders on a farm? What images and themes does the heartland and farming evoke?
I think Flynn chose the farm and the heartland location because it's unusual. Generally we hear about murders in metropolitan cities, but not tiny farm towns. You want to think their town is safe, slow moving, and simple. But in reality it's got just as many dangers as a city: guns, drugs, sex, gambling, extreme religious zealots, poverty, molestation, etc. The contrast between societal views of what a farm town is like and what occurs in this book is striking.

4. What do you believe in Diondra’s motivation throughout the story? Does her relationship with Ben change him?
Diondra is selfish. Plain and simple. She desperately wants to escape this small town, but I think she's also afraid to do so. I don't think she really likes herself much and craves attention and validation from others due to her absentee parents. Her rebellious behavior is a clear cry for help and affection from her parents, and she's begun to poison Ben against his own family. Misery loves company. Somehow she tricks this sweet, but seriously confused boy into thinking he's important to her, when really she's just using him. Deep down I think Ben knows this, but is just as desperate for love and attention as Diondra is, that he stays with her anyway convincing himself he's in love and doing the "right thing" for her.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers or whodunits. The characters are just as complex as the storyline, and even the smallest roles have a significance in the big picture. It's easy to read and follow, while keeping you guessing until the very last moments.

Have you read Dark Places? What did you think?

linking up with

January 7, 2015

Wednesday Wishes + a Giveaway!

If you have been around these parts you know that Melissa from The Rambling Llama is my real life BFF of almost 9 years now. She's truly a wonderful person, but sometimes bad things happen to good people. AND THAT SUCKS HAIRY, SWEATY MONKEY BALLS! Whew. I feel better now.

Anywho. She's going though a tough personal situation right now and she needs our support and prayers. So tweet her, email her, leave her a sweet comment to let her know we got her back and that we are thinking of her while she's away. So my wish for today's episode of Wednesday Wishes goes to Melissa. Wishing her the best outcome of this nasty situation and that her sweet family isn't affected too much by the recent events.

I feel so special this week. I was asked by TWO bloggy friends to help them celebrate wonderful things. Cassie's Husband's AMAZING photography earlier this week and now Faith's Blogiversary. Seriously loving my #tribe right now. #WinningJanuary

Life with Mrs. G and The Artist is FIVE!! And Faith, along with some amazing women, are giving away some pretty sweet prizes (one of them is from me #ShamelessSelfPromotion)